So, anyone want to have that three-way Offensive Rookie of the Year discussion now?  To be fair, Griffin played the game hurt (I have no idea why the Redskins didn't pull him for Cousins earlier in the game), but Wilson clearly outperformed both him and Luck today.  For that matter, Bobby Wagner is looking like a pretty great choice for Defensive Rookie of the Year.

More importantly, the team proved that they can win playoff games on the road.  The injuries to Clemons and Hauschka bear some watching over the next week, but I like this team's chances against Atlanta.  Your thoughts?

I've been sick as a dog this week, and through all the vomiting and the groaning and the general misery this game has stood out like a bright, shining beacon on the horizon.  The Seahawks and the playoffs, together again -- how great is that?

When the Hawks improbably clawed their way into the postseason in 2010 with a 7-9 record, all they did was pull off one of the most exciting upset wins in the history of the NFL playoffs by knocking off the defending champions, the New Orleans Saints.  This time around, the Seahawks didn't sneak their way into the postseason, they sprinted their way in with an 11-5 record, the best defense in the NFL, and an offense capable of breaking off big plays at a moment's notice.

The Redskins have a strong offense, with rookie QB Robert Griffin III and rookie RB Alfred Morris providing most of the sparks, but their defense is another matter.  The unit has been able to mask a lot of problems by racking up turnovers (5^th most in the league), but Seattle's offense doesn't cough up the ball very often (just 18 times all season, good for 7^th fewest in the NFL).  Also, Washington ranks at or near the bottom of the league in multiple pass defense categories, so if they can't snag some interceptions, Russell Wilson and his receivers will be off to the races.

Today is a damned good day to be a Seahawks fan.

At last, the hour approaches. 

In just two days, the red-hot Seahawks will take the field against the surging Washington Redskins in the final game of Wild Card Weekend 2013. 

There's a lot to be excited about for fans of both teams here. Both have running backs who finished in the top three in rushing yards (Marshawn Lynch, Alfred Morris). Both have similar records (11-5, 10-6). Both have top-ten run defenses (5th, 10th).

But of course, the most glaring comparison between these two teams are their rookie quarterbacks, Russell Wilson and Robert Griffin III. Neither of them have looked much like rookies this season, and their success has had a large role in why each team has reached this point. 

Wilson and RGIII have both made heavy use of the read option. The Seahawks and Redskins are two of five teams to run 30+ option plays on the year. Interestingly, though, the Seahawks only ran option rushes five times through Week 1-12, but turned it up to 50 option rushes from Week 13 forward. 

For those keeping track at home, Week 13 was when the Seahawks caught fire and haven't looked back since.

It was the game in Chicago, when the Seahawks beat the Bears in overtime on their own field for the third straight season. That was undeniably the turning point for this team.

Since then, the read option has been used on 30 percent of the Seahawks' offensive plays, helping the team average a whopping 211.8 rushing yards and 38.6 points per game in its five-game winning streak that closed out the season. Coincidence? Not one bit. 

The Redskins, meanwhile, have also used a heavy dose of the option during the season, though in a slightly modified version of it. Whereas the Seahawks have leaned heavily on the option in the second half of the season, the 'Skins have run option plays 128 times in 2012. In those plays, we've seen that RGIII is a mobile, dangerous quarterback who can hurt defenses with his legs just as effectively as he can with his arm. He finished the regular season with 815 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.

But, this should sound familiar to Seahawk fans. 

Russell Wilson is every bit as dangerous -- if not even more so -- than RGIII. And though the two are incredibly similar in their mobility, mechanics and execution, they have very different defenses playing on the other side of the ball. 

The Redskins rank 30th in pass defense coming into the playoffs, and besides being an utter jackass in almost every conceivable way, CB DeAngelo Hall ranked out as the worst starting DB in the league, according to ProFootballFocus. Starting CB Brandon Meriweather is also on injured reserve, leaving former Seahawk Josh Wilson starting opposite Hall. Wilson is no slouch, but was released by the Seahawks in favor of guys who aren't 5-foot-9. If you want to see how bad the Redskins' defense has been at times, just take a look at this first-half summary of a December game against the 4-12 Philadelphia Eagles.

The Seahawks, meanwhile, graded out as the fifth-best defense in the league, ranking sixth against the pass and third against the run. Richard Sherman has been Beast Mode on defense, totaling eight interceptions and knocking away an improbable 24 passes altogether. Brandon Browner comes back from his four-game suspension this week, and standing at 6'4", we all know how much his mere presence will do to the psyche of any receiver. 

It's been said that defense wins championships. While some teams can get away with a flawed defense by way of a lights-out offense, it's the teams that have a true balance of both that rise to the next level. I'd defy anyone to show me a better, more physical defense in the NFL right now than the one playing in Seattle, and I fully expect them to give RGIII and the Redskins four quarters of hell come Sunday. 

It was a long, difficult road to victory. 

But in the end, the 2012 Seahawks did what they do best - win. 

The Seahawks fought hard from a 10-3 deficit in the first half and rallied to beat the St. Louis Rams in their final game of the regular season, 20-13. The victory was capped off by a game-winning interception from the man of the hour, Richard Sherman, as the Rams marched into Seattle territory with less than a minute to play. 

This was an ego-check game for the Seahawks. They ruthlessly stomped on their last three opponents, as we know, scoring 150 points total and only allowing 30. The Rams, who have been flying largely under the radar this year, came into CenturyLink Field today without any playoff hopes, but still played extremely tough. They sacked Russell Wilson seven times, taking advantage of bad one-on-one matchups in the trenches. DE Robert Quinn gave Russell Okung and JR Sweezy all kinds of trouble, with John Moffitt sadly sitting out another game. The team hopes to have him back in the lineup when they travel to Washington DC next weekend for their first-round playoff game against the Redskins. 

Wilson, despite taking more of a beating than he's been used to through this point, completed an impressive 15-of-19 passes for 250 yards and a touchdown pass to Michael Robinson. He also added another rushing TD to make the score 20-13 in the fourth quarter, just before Richard Sherman sealed the game with his interception of Sam Bradford on the following drive. 

But as I've said before, good teams win ugly sometimes. Victory in the NFL is not always pretty - sometimes it's a dirty, ugly, uncoordinated bonanza of trial-and-error; a frustrating display of failed scoring attempts and botched plays. It happens. It can always happen to any team, on any given Sunday. 

Despite all of that happening at least once throughout the course of this game -- at a significant cost against my nerves and vocal chords -- the Seahawks won, and won ugly they did. They are 11-5 in the 2012 regular season and headed to the playoffs. Now, the questions arise:

• How will this defense stop Robert Griffin III and the Washington Redskins? 
• Will Russell Wilson be able to continue his magic on the road?
• Can Beast Mode bust out against a surprisingly stout Redskins run defense?
• Will the Seahawks' pass rush show up against a shaky Redskins offensive line? 

We'll find out these answers soon enough. But as it stands now, it's pretty hard to be disappointed by anything the Seattle Seahawks have accomplished this year. 

Two weeks ago, the Seahawks shocked the division, the league and even the country when they shamelessly bludgeoned the Arizona Cardinals at CenturyLink Field by a score of 58-0. Touchdowns on offense, defense and even special teams contributed to a total massacre of a division rival that nobody saw coming. 

Last week, the Seahawks followed it up with a dominant showing on the road in Toronto, when they beat the Buffalo Bills, 50 to 17. They proved that they weren't a one-trick pony, only powerful in their own domain, as many pundits were quick to call out. 

The real test, though, was the following week, when the big, bad, division rival San Francisco 49ers were coming to town. Since last weekend, the city of Seattle has felt like the playoffs were coming to town, because the matchup was flexed into primetime. Expectations were set in place, given the 'Hawks recent dominance - but the 49ers looked like they were poised for big things when they managed to defeat the New England Patriots on the road last Sunday night. 

Then, they came to Seattle. 

The 12th Man, having been loud enough to be considered legitimate psychological warfare all season long, was ready for San Francisco. Ready, waiting, and hungry. 

The Seahawks stopped the 49ers on a three-and-out on their opening drive, firing up the 12th Man to be point of being heard from space. When Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch and the Seahawks' offense took the field on their opening drive, all it took was a Wilson pass to Sidney Rice and a breakout Lynch run to get six points on the board. 

But as I posted on the blog's Facebook page at that moment, "This will be the first of many." The energy was palpable, even from my seat at my family's house in nothern California. (Ill-timed holiday visits, you are the bane of my football-watching existence.)

On the Seahawks' next possession, Lynch hauled in a nine-yard TD pass from Russell Wilson to quickly make it 14-0 with 4:52 to play in the first quarter. 

That, however, was only the beginning. 

Just when the Niners looked like they were going to put points on the board with an easy chip shot field goal, Red Bryant jumped up and blocked the punt, which led to Richard Sherman grabbing the loose ball and taking it 90 yards to the house for the third Seahawks touchdown in the past 15 minutes. 

And it just kept going. 

Russell Wilson would go on to throw his first four-touchdown game as a pro, finishing the night with 15 of 21 pass completions, and a QB rating of 115.3. Doug Baldwin caught two touchdown passes, with Anthony McCoy and Lynch rounding out the other two. The Seahawks won the matchup, 42-13. 

The Seahawks are the hottest team in the NFC right now. They trail only the Broncos for the hottest team in the league. They came out tonight on national television and made a huge statement against a division rival - one they hadn't beaten since Pete Carroll took the reins as head coach two seasons ago. And they got the perfect setting to display such a powerhouse victory. 

To quote Rocky Bernard in 2005, moments after the Seahawks finally knocked off the St. Louis Rams in the "Greatest Show on Turf" era: "We finally got that monkey off our back." 

After tonight, nothing should scare this team. Nothing should strike fear into their hearts from this point forward. They passed their ultimate regular-season test with flying colors, and did not back down for one single quarter, one single possession, one single play. 

Make no mistake about it: the Seahawks are the most dangerous team going into the 2012 playoffs. They control their own destiny from here on out, but given what we've seen in the past three weeks, the only question they should be asking is how many more 40-point games they can put up. 

One more win and the Seahawks will secure themselves a playoff spot, but more than just a postseason berth is on the line today.  The 49ers are being touted as the best team in not just the NFC, but in the entire NFL, and as the saying goes, if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.  Seattle's earned themselves some favorable press, but a win today will serve notice that this is not a team to be taken lightly this January.

But best or not, San Francisco is vulnerable.  Colin Kaepernick is already twice the passer that Alex Smith has ever been, but he's still prone to the same mistakes as any other young quarterback.  Yes, in five starts he's thrown seven touchdowns to just two interceptions, but he's also fumbled the ball nine times.  If Chris Clemons and the rest of the Seahawks defense can put some pressure on Kaepernick (easier said than done, given his mobility and his o-line's strong blocking), they might be able to force some turnovers.  However, that's all moot if Seattle's pass coverage can't keep TE Vernon Davis and WR MIchael Crabtree from breaking free for big gains.

The 49ers' running game is also having some trouble as of late.  Back in week seven, Frank Gore gouged the Seahawks for 131 yards on just 16 carries, but he hasn't had a 100 yard game since then.  Injuries have slowed him considerably, and he's had to shoulder more of the workload now that his backup Kendall Hunter is on injured reserve (the third RB, rookie LaMichael James, is averaging 1.4 fewer yards per carry than Hunter).  The injury their best run blocker LG Mike Iupati suffered last week against the Patriots won't help things for them, either.

However, the biggest injury news for San Francisco is that their star defensive lineman Justin Smith is questionable for the game with an elbow injury.  Smith's ability to disrupt plays around the line of scrimmage was one of the main reasons for the 49ers' win in week seven, and without him on the field the Seahawks will be able to devote more attention to stopping pass rusher Aldon Smith.

The Seahawks made two changes to their roster this week, but they shouldn't factor in nearly as much as the 49ers' problems.  DT Jason Jones, who has been a fixture on the nickel package rush line this season, was placed on IR with a knee injury, but his contributions so far have been inconsistent at best.  In twelve games, Jones tallied just three sacks and five QB hits; the player replacing him, rookie DL Greg Scruggs, has two sacks and five QB hits on the year even though he's seen just a fraction of the defensive snaps that Jones has.  To fill Jones' place on the roster, rookie DT Hebron Fangupu was promoted from the practice squad.

The team's other roster move may actually make them even more dangerous in the passing game.  Third string TE Evan Moore, who has struggled all season catching passes despite that supposedly being his specialty, was released (he struggled to get separation from defenders and caught just one of the six passes thrown his way), and to take his place on the roster TE Sean McGrath was promoted from the practice squad.  McGrath, a rookie from division II school Henderson State, emerged during training camp as a favorite target of every quarterback on the roster, and he played well enough to earn himself a spot on the practice squad.

The depleted secondary may see the return of CBs Marcus Trufant and Walter Thurmond, as both have been upgraded to questionable this week after missing games with hamstring injuries, but that's mitigated somewhat by S Jeron Johnson also being listed as questionable with a groin injury.  WR Sidney Rice is questionable with a knee injury, but he was able to participate in Friday's practice so the chances of him playing today are actually pretty good.

The production of the Seahawks' offense is also going to be heavily scrutinized.  After being the first team to score 50+ points in back-to-back games since 1950, how will they fare against a 49ers squad that's allowed the fewest points in the NFL?  We'll have to wait until this evening for the answer to that, but I will say this: if Seattle makes it three in a row, you'll need a chisel to remove the smile from my face.

UPDATE (5:12): Justin Smith's streak of 185 straight starts comes to an end today. Smith is the most notable player appearing on San Francisco's inactive list for the game, and his absence is good news for the Seahawks.  For Seattle, both Marcus Trufant and Walter Thurmond are inactive, which means Jeremy Lane and Byron Maxwell are going to be called on for the second week in a row to step up their game.  The secondary did get one small break in that backup safety Jeron Johnson will be active, so multi-DB coverage packages will still be a viable part of Gus Bradley's gameplan.  

On offense, starting WR Sidney Rice is active, although he may not play as many snaps as usual due to his knee injury.  Surprisingly, G John Moffitt is inactive for the game, so rookie DL-turned-OL J.R. Sweezy will get the start in his place.  G Rishaw Johnson is also inactive for the game, which means that Lemuel Jeanpierre will effectively be the only real backup available for all three interior o-line positions (Frank Omiyale could play guard in a pinch, but his strongest position by far is tackle).

The NFL’s Most Valuable Player is… Russell Wilson?

Apologies in advance for jumping the gun on naming a 2012 NFL MVP.  I realize that there are still two weeks left in the regular season, but I had time to write this post today, so to hell with the NFL’s 17 week schedule!http://fantasydouche.com/2012/12/the-nfls-most-valuable-player-is-russell-wilson/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=the-nfls-most-valuable-player-is-russell-wilson

Seahawks hoping to improve their run defense.

Seahawks.com

http://mynorthwest.com/275/2159905/Seahawks-hoping-to-improve-their-run-defense

Final Word: NFC West

by mike sando-espn

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcwest/post/_/id/85640/final-word-nfc-west-63

Any Given Sunday: Cardinals Over Lions

Rivers Mcown

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/any-given-sunday/2012/any-given-sunday-cardinals-over-lions

Pass rush takes blow with Jones on IR

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/12/21/2410371/pass-rush-takes-blow-with-jones.htm

CBs Thurmond, Trufant back at practice; Sherman expected to be available

Danny O'neil

http://seattletimes.com/html/seahawksblog/2019956508_hawkinjuries21.html

With the announcement that Russell Wilson’s game jersey has been added to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s collection after he became “the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to finish a game with at least one touchdown pass, three rushing touchdowns, and 90 yards rushing” in the Seahawks’ 50-17 win over the Bills last Sunday, I thought it might be fun to take a quick look at how Wilson’s rookie season to date compares to some other notable performances by rookie quarterbacks throughout the years.

To keep things manageable, I limited my search to quarterbacks who threw at least 15 touchdown passes in their first pro season.  After eliminating players who sat on the bench for a year or more before seeing their first season of action (Carson Palmer, Charlie Conerly, etc.) and guys who played in other pro football leagues before joining the NFL or one of the two leagues that eventually merged with it, the AAFC and the AFL (Jim Kelly played in the USFL, Butch Songin in the CFL, etc.), I was left with a list of 24 quarterbacks¹:

Currently, Wilson is tied with Cam Newton for third most passing touchdowns by a rookie QB with 21, and Andrew Luck isn’t far behind him with 20.  Wilson needs five more TDs to tie Peyton Manning, but seeing as how his next two opponents the 49ers and Rams have allowed just 14 passing TDs all season long (tied for fourth fewest in the NFL), his chances of meeting or exceeding Manning’s record are pretty slim.

Next, here’s how Wilson stacks up when we add in rushing touchdowns:

Unless the Seahawks are going to be starting every drive over the next two weeks at their opponent’s one yard line, Wilson is not likely to rack up the 11 touchdowns it would take to match Newton’s inhuman record of 35.

If nothing else, this table really emphasizes just how special this 2012 rookie QB class really is.  I mean, Luck, Wilson, and Robert Griffin III are all firmly ensconced in the top five, and they still have two games left to play – how many more times do you think we’ll see that happen in our lifetimes?

Still, rookies aren’t perfect, and they’re going to make mistakes.  Here’s how Wilson stacks up in terms of their ratio of passing touchdowns to interceptions:

Finally, here’s how the ratio shakes out when we add in rushing TDs and fumbles:

I don’t have much to add to this one, other than to point out that all three players listed above Wilson and Griffin in this last table are all in the Hall of Fame.  Not a bad start to a career, I’d say.

*        *        *

¹ I found it interesting to see how the names are grouped by time period and league.  It’s no surprise to see multiple rookie QBs managed the feat in the freewheeling offenses of the AFL IV² in the 1960s, but I didn’t expect to see quite so many names from the AAFC (and before you assume that result was because of a handful of strong teams like the Browns beating up on weaker competition, it bears noting that the Colts teams Tittle played on were pretty awful). 

In the more conservative NFL, it was traditional for QBs to go through an apprenticeship period where they sat on the bench for a few seasons of development before being trusted to start, and even when they did play their rookie year the run-heavy offenses that dominated the league for most of its history didn’t offer much in the way of scoring opportunities for young signal callers.  Either way, it isn’t hard to understand why so few NFL rookies met the 15 TD mark prior to the early 1990s.

² Yes, there really were three other American Football Leagues.  The first one played for just one year back in 1926 and was only organized in the first place so that C.C. Pyle could strong-arm the NFL into awarding him a franchise (it worked, by the way).  The second one lasted two years, 1936-37, before going bankrupt (apparently the middle of the Great Depression isn’t the best time to organize a new sports league).  The third AFL was successful enough that it began to show a profit by the end of its second season in 1941, but they suspended operations when the United States entered World War II (they fully intended to resume play after the war, but for whatever reason they never did).

Wilson,Luck vs. same 8 opponents-NFC WEST Blog-ESPN 

Two weeks ago, we provided upon request a look at how Seattle's Russell Wilson and Indianapolis' Andrew Luck fared against seven common opponents. The two impressive rookies have faced eight common opponents now that Seattle has also played the Buffalo Bills. The Seahawks and Colts have no additional common opponents during the regular season, which means we can now compare their season-long numbers against common opponents.http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcwest/post/_/id/85192/wilson-luck-vs-same-eight-opponents

The Seahawks have arrived-blog-Mynorthwest.com

The 2012 Seahawks have arrived. I don't mean as a national contender. Yes, the pundits may now start to take notice, but they won't really take this team seriously until it beats San Francisco next Sunday. I'm not sure they'll believe Canadian wins count 100 percent anyway. No, the 2012 Seahawks arrived because they now know exactly who they are and how they want to win.http://mynorthwest.com/422/2155558/Seahawks-setting-themselves-apart-as-wellbalanced-team

High-scoring Seattle turns focus to San Fransisco-Seahawks news-Mynorthwest.com

As the Seahawks flew back from Toronto late Sunday night, nearly every person on Seattle's charter was glued to what was happening in New England – watching to see if the Seahawks could be playing for the NFC West division lead this weekendhttp://mynorthwest.com/275/2156079/Highscoring-Seattle-turns-focus-to-San-Francisco-

Primed for primetime

The Seahawks slapped a 50-17 win over the Buffalo Bills at the Rogers Centre on Sunday to set the stage for next week’s rematch with the NFC West-leading 49ers at CenturyLink Field.http://www.seahawks.com/news/articles/article-1/Primed-for-primetime/23eab84d-bbc8-4bcc-92bb-5b96643be5ed

49ers led by 21 when Justin Smith went out -NFC West Blog-ESPN

The San Francisco 49ers held a 31-10 lead over New England when Pro Bowl defensive end Justin Smith left the game with an elbow injury.http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcwest/post/_/id/85270/49ers-led-by-21-when-justin-smith-went-out